Battle of Charlemagne
The Battle of Charlemagne took place at the Charlemagne Starlock in the Orion Quadrant of the Milky Way Galaxy in the Solar Year 7382. [Worlds Apart Book 11: Charlemagne ] Action The Battle of Charlemagne took the form of a massive surprise attack by a large fleet of what were subsequently identified as Aurelian Ships. A large ship, designated “MegaCarrier” appeared in the Starlock early on the morning of (Earth Calendar/Solar Year) December 22, 7382. The Mega-Carrier launched hundreds of attack ships against Charlemagne Starlock and the ships in port nearby; most of them were preparing for exploring expeditions into the recently charted Orion Quadrant. The MegaCarrier was accompanied by a number of large escort ships whose tactical purpose was never ascertained. Charlemagne Starlock was taken completely by surprise as conventional wisdom had held that the entire Aurelian race had self-annihilated at the conclusion of the Second Aurelian War. Survivors later discovered that the Starlock’s defensive systems had been sabotaged by an Aurelian agent working on the inside in advance of the attack. The station was able to muster no defense of itself in the face of the attack. The Aurelians focused their attack on the Station’s Central Command (Main Mission) and the surrounding habitation areas. Persistent missile bombardment quickly destroyed those sections of the Starlock. The Station’s Commander; Commodore Alexavier Wheeler of Bountiful colony, ordered a general evacuation minutes before Main Mission was destroyed. Aquilae shuttlecraft attempted to launch carrying survivors from the station, but most were destroyed by Aurelian attack ships. The remainder of the Aurelian forces attacked ships in portage near the station, focusing attacks especially on less armed Explorer Ships, Supply Ships, and Starliners. The attacking ships destroyed many of the ships in port, although some 17 vessels managed to flee, proceeding to the Parallax System where the survivors regrouped. Among these ships were the Pathfinder Ship Pegasus, ''which was remote from the station undergoing engine tests in deep space, and the Ambassadorial Ship ''Nova, ''which fled as Fast Attack Corvettes covered its retreat. Outcome The Charlemagne Starlock was rendered inoperable by the Aurelian attack. Surviving New Commonwealth, Free Alliance, and Non-Aligned Ships regrouped at the Parallax System. Losses Some 6,000 people onboard the Charlemagne Starlock perished in the attack. These included the crew and staff of the Charlemagne Starlock, and visiting crews from ships in port at the time, including nearly all of Flight Group Four (the “Doom Patrol”) from the Pathfinder Ship ''Pegasus. ''A small number of survivors were picked up by the Fast Attack Corvettes ''Fighting Mongoose ''and ''Honey Badger '' and transported safely to the Parallax System. '' '' In addition, several of the ships in port were destroyed in the attack including: · Explorer ship ''City of Progress · Explorer Ship Vulpecula · Explorer Ship Foresight · Supply ship Oil and Gold · Supply ship Valerie Tan · Transport Ship Charybdis · Transport Ship Starlight Express · Salvage and Repair Ship Space Vulture · Fast Attack Corvette FAS Strongbad ''Concurrent Actions'' Concurrent with the attack on the Charlemagne Starlock, the Aurelians sent a fireship through the Chapultepec Starlock packed with antimatter weapons. The ship launched missiles at the inhabited areas of the Starlock before ramming its command center; killing thousands and wiping out most of the New Commonwealth’s government. Subsequent attacks by automated battle drones were launched against major worlds in the Perseus quadrant, including Republic, Sapphire, Bountiful Prime, Independence, Bella La Cava, Emeishan, and Gander-Longueil. Category:History Category:Backstory Category:Background